Overview

Housing and Residence Life is dedicated to providing safe, comfortable, and supportive living environments for all students, including those whose gender identity and/or expression differs from the gender assigned to them at birth.

Transgender, Gender Non-conforming, and Non-binary students have the option to:

Live with students who share their identity or who are affirming of their identity.

Correct their gender identity, name, and pronouns in the Update Information section of the Housing Portal. Please be aware this updates housing records only.

Use the Housing Portal to search for or be matched with roommates who share or affirm their gender identity.

If a student needs additional assistance, they may contact Housing and Residence Life for guidance in finding a housing assignment or roommate.

Housing assignments for students are guided by the following values:

Respect for and affirmation of the student's gender identity and/or expression

Prioritized attention to the student's physical safety and emotional health

Enhancing the student's opportunity for success at Seattle University by finding the best match between the student's needs and the options available

Glossary of Terms*

Cis(gender)- Adjective that means “identifies as their sex assigned at birth” derived from the Latin word meaning “on the same side.” A cisgender/cis person is not transgender. “Cisgender” does not indicate biology, gender expression, or sexuality/sexual orientation. In discussions regarding trans issues, one would differentiate between women who are trans and women who aren’t by saying trans women and cis women. Cis is not a “fake” word and is not a slur. Note that cisgender does not have an “ed” at the end.

Gender Expression/Presentation -The physical manifestation of one’s gender identity through clothing, hairstyle, voice, body shape, etc. (typically referred to as masculine or feminine). Many transgender people seek to make their gender expression (how they look) match their gender identity (who they are), rather than their sex assigned at birth. Someone with a gender nonconforming gender expression may or may not be transgender.

Gender Identity- One’s internal sense of being male, female, neither of these, both, or other gender(s). Everyone has a gender identity, including you. For transgender people, their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity are not necessarily the same.

Nonbinary (Also Non-Binary)- Preferred umbrella term for all genders other than female/male or woman/man, used as an adjective (e.g. Jesse is a nonbinary person). Not all nonbinary people identify as trans and not all trans people identify as nonbinary. Sometimes (and increasingly), nonbinary can be used to describe the aesthetic/presentation/expression of a cisgender or transgender person.

Transgender/Trans- An umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. The term transgender is not indicative of gender expression, sexual orientation, hormonal makeup, physical anatomy, or how one is perceived in daily life. Note that transgender does not have an “ed” at the end.